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Interview by KPFA’s Mitch Jeserich about The Vél d’Hiv Raid
July 16 and 17 marked the 75th anniversary of the Vel d’Hiv Roundup. Levi Laub, activist and translator of our upcoming title, The Vél d’Hiv Raid by Maurice Rajsfus, was interviewed on Monday, July 17 by KPFA host Mitch Jeserich on Letters & Politics. Listen, download, or open the interview from iTunes at: https://kpfa.org/episode/letters-and-politics-july-17-2017.
Featured News Items
“Claire Beck Loos, the Witness of an Era” — exhibition in Pilsen examines the life of architect Adolf Loos through the biography of him written by photographer and author Claire Beck Loos. The Pilsen Synagogue is home to the exhibition all summer. Continue reading
We congratulate our author Peter Sichrovsky (Verklempt) on his new foreign language edition of Born Guilty: Children of Nazi Families. Sichrovsky provides an illuminating interview in a Chinese online magazine, Tencent Culture, and we have translated it for you. Continue reading
“A provocative and engaging discussion of the alteration, erasure and suppression of art.” – Donna Kaz, author of UN/MASKED, Memoirs of a Guerrilla Girl On Tour
Last week we were pleased to announce that The Ghetto Swinger: A Berlin Jazz-Legend Remembers, by Coco Schumann (with Max Christian Graeff and Michaela Haas; Translated by John Howard; Afterword by Michael H. Kater) was named one of five finalists for the 2017 Association for Recorded Sound Collections Awards for Excellence. Today we would like … Continue reading
Foreword Reviews July/August 2017 Review by Susan Waggoner “Adept reporting and personal experience make for a gripping read… While each book is strong enough to stand on its own, Operation Yellow Star and Black Thursday together make an unusual, important, credibly researched, and skillfully written contribution to Holocaust literature.” Visit the book page to learn … Continue reading
Anderson Ranch Arts Center will host a panel discussion about art and censorship across cultural contexts August 10 from 7-9 pm with author Glenn Harcourt, Eleanor Heartney, Francis M. Naumann and artist Pamela Joseph. The discussion coincides with the publication of Harcourt and Joseph’s eponymous book by DoppelHouse Press. Part monograph, part historical analysis, and part … Continue reading
“Every resistance movement had its forgers, but few have told their tales. Many, like Kaminsky, were very young technicians and chemists when they began their work. Sarah Kaminsky’s affectionate rendering of her father’s life, with all the intricacies of his trade, is a book not just about a remarkable craftsman, but a man who strove … Continue reading
The documentary video “The Forger” by filmmakers Samantha Stark, Alexandra Garcia and Pamela Druckerman has been named a finalist in the 76th Annual Peabody Awards. The documentary is based on best-selling author Sarah Kaminsky’s book about her father, an unsung hero of the Paris Resistance in Adolfo Kaminsky: A Forger’s Life. Kaminsky’s book has been translated into seven … Continue reading
An official selection at the Hot Docs Film Festival, The Forger, produced by The New York Times, wins the audience prize for short documentary. The Forger, by filmmakers Samantha Stark, Alexandra Garcia and Pamela Druckerman’s documentary, is based on the best-selling book, Adolfo Kaminsky: A Forger’s Life, by Sarah Kaminsky.
A statement by our author Maurice Rajsfus, a survivor of the Vél d’Hiv Raid, “The Le Pen Family Are All Holocaust Deniers”: Continue reading
Lew Whittington writes, “Newly translated English editions of Operation Yellow Star and Black Thursday: The Round-up of July 16, 1942 have just been released in a single volume to mark the 75th anniversary year of the purge of Jews in France during WWII.” “Through his sobering, exhaustive research Rajsfus chronicles the arrests, harassment, and deportations … Continue reading
“An unsparing indictment of Paris police during the Nazi occupation. […] The author’s memory of July 16 is harrowing. […] Besides commemorating his family’s murder, Rajsfus raises awareness about how “the enemies of human rights are once more gaining ground,” spouting xenophobia that is easily transferable to any minority group. A heartfelt, timely plea to … Continue reading
DoppelHouse Press congratulates Sarah Kaminsky on her inclusion in the forthcoming volume of Contemporary Authors, an imprint of Gale Cengage. Kaminsky joins over 112,00 distinguished writers in all genres whose works have been published in the English language. Contemporary Authors provides biographical details on modern novelists, poets, playwrights, nonfiction writers, journalists and scriptwriters.
Scott Yanow, American jazz reviewer and editor of the L.A. Jazz Scene considers The Ghetto Swinger in his recent review: Coco Schumann tell[s] his story honestly, colorfully and with occasional humor. It is a fascinating story that is well worth discovering. Continue reading
Read The Times of Israel’s article about Adolfo Kaminsky, by writer Anne Joseph. “Even though he did things illegally, it was within his parameters of a fierce moral structure,” says Sarah Kaminsky. Anne Joseph, “The book [Adolfo Kaminsky, A Forger’s Life] talks about Adolfo’s ingenious methods for creating forgeries and gives an unflinching account of … Continue reading
Adolfo Kaminsky, A Forger’s Life Best-selling author Sarah Kaminsky tells the story of her father, an unsung hero of the Paris Resistance in Adolfo Kaminsky: A Forger’s Life. The book has been translated into seven languages and chronicles Sarah Kaminsky’s father’s work as a forger for the 6th Section of the French Resistance, which saved … Continue reading
Q : How did you separate your roles as daughter and observer as you wrote the book?
A : When I was asking him questions for the book, we were not like father and daughter. I was an observer, I had to do a lot of historical research to connect it to his personal story. I had interviewed a lot of people of resistance movements, etc. So I had a professional approach. When the work sessions were finished, I became a daughter once again with my father. Of course the fact that we are father and daughter made it easier because of the trust we have in each other…
Read on…
http://deborahkalbbooks.blogspot.com/2017/02/q-with-sarah-kaminsky.html Continue reading
Hungarian modernism may be a terra incognita for many but the distinguished art historian Éva Forgács is an invaluable guide to the territory. Her essays are shafts of light illuminating a complex terrain that is not only located at the center of Europe but, given the seismic political shifts that have occurred there, is central to the history that defined the twentieth century. Continue reading
“Kaminsky’s life is novelistic material, encapsulating the Jewish experience in the 20th century, made of displacement, exile and deportation.
A humanist forger, a utopian outlaw, the Robin Hood of false papers, preparing passports and identity cards for the world’s oppressed…. Continue reading
“For designers, LA-o-philes, architects & artists, futurists & historians, this is an indispensable tour of the bones and blueprints of our unique city.” Read more…. Continue reading
The National Book Review chooses Adolfo Kaminsky, A Forger’s Life as their lead Hot Pick. “Sarah Kaminsky tells the true story of her extraordinary father who courageously and secretly used his artistic talent to forge documents and save hundreds of lives as part of the French Resistance….” Continue reading
Kirkus Reviews praises Erich Hackl’s Three Tearless Histories: “Hackl is like an investigating detective pursuing a case where all the principals are long dead and the few who remain may be reluctant to talk.” Continue reading
In this extraordinary short documentary, The New York Times interviews Adolfo Kaminsky about his work as a volunteer forger for humanitarian causes, starting when he was a Jewish teenager fighting with the Resistance against the Nazi persecution of Jews through the political upheavals of the 1950s-early 1970s. Continue reading
His story is inspiring and profound, yet told with a youthful whimsy. Coco Schumann is the very best jazz guitarist you need to know. Listen to this broadcast again on October 15, 2016! Continue reading
Adolfo Kaminsky: A Forger’s Life by Sarah Kaminsky was selected as one of the most anticipated books for Fall 2016. We are proud that Kaminsky’s talents are being recognized alongside such authors as Jonathan Safran Foer and Amos Oz! Continue reading
This extraordinary true story of a forger for the French Resistance, the Algerian Independence Movement and numerous humanitarian causes was a best-seller in France, earned a reader’s choice award from Elle and has now been translated into seven languages. Continue reading
Until mid-August Liat Yossifor’s work is on exhibition at Páramo Gallery in Guadalajara, Mexico. Read about Yossifor’s new monochrome works here: http://tinyurl.com/hecjj4u Continue reading
The book’s central matter, the field guide to dingbats, will change the way you see L.A. Continue reading
Almost every Angelino has a dingbat story. It might be a tale of love and loss in a sixties-era apartment complex or a joke about a friend who lived in stucco box in West L.A. with “stoner” scrawled across the facade in fancy script…. Continue reading
An interesting and enlightening read. … I felt like I was listening to the gregarious great-uncle with stories almost too good to be true, other than the fact that they really are. Continue reading
“Why should you read this book? It not only gives a new perspective on World War Two, but provides a closer look at the the jazz scene of the twentieth century as well. Schumann grasps your interest and lets you witness his beautiful, humorous and shocking experiences from up close.” Continue reading
Original, entertaining, memorable, and deftly crafted works of fiction, “Verklempt” is very highly recommended for both community and academic library Literary Fiction collections. — Midwest Book Review, May 2016 Continue reading
With our Frank Gehry buildings and iconic downtown landmarks, Angelenos know great architecture when they see it. Or at least great architecture in the sense of what’s conventionally accepted as pleasing to the eye. Few people would argue the magnificence of Union Station or the Walt Disney Concert Hall — these are the buildings tourists love to take selfies in front of and that professors nerd out over.
But what about the overlooked underdogs, the buildings that don’t make it onto lists of top architectural sites in the city? Surely they deserve some love, too. Continue reading
The book, written with Max Christian Graeff and Michaela Haas, is a spirited and colorful story about the art of humor, as well as the power of hope in circumstances where there is no hope. Even in the Auschwitz death camp music gave Schumann hope, and he gave it to others in the message of his music. Continue reading
Peter Sichrovsky presents eleven intriguing short stories that will leave the reader verklempt—or, according to the definition the author cites from the Yiddish Slang Dictionary,’choked with emotions.’ … Continue reading
The Academic Study of Dingbat Apartments You’ve Been Waiting for Is Here
March 22, 2016 Chris Nichols Architecture
Finally, an academic treatise on the dingbat apartment! Dingbat 2.0: The Iconic Los Angeles Apartment as Projection of a Metropolis gathered a dream team of more than a dozen architects, critics, and photographers including Barbara Bestor, Aaron Betsky, and the late John Chase to explain the art, science, and economics of multi-unit living…. Continue reading
We spoke to editors Thurman Grant and Joshua G. Stein about what we can still learn from the lowly dingbat.
How did the Dingbat 2.0 competition come about? Continue reading
“… This book should be emotionally draining, but it isn’t. It is sometimes funny and sometimes sad, depending on the page one is reading. On the other hand, the description of Coco’s life after the Holocaust resonates with a telling depth that seems to turn into an unbridgeable chasm as it unfolds….” http://ow.ly/ZzK7E Continue reading
Panelists, including editors Thurman Grant and Joshua G. Stein, architectural historian Steven Treffers, and architect Barbara Bestor discuss the many aspects of dingbat architecture and ways in which the apartment building type – synonymous with LA’s rapid post-war urban expansion – might be re-envisioned for the 21st century. Cohosted by the Society of Architectural Historians Southern California Chapter. Continue reading
Coco Schumann’s fascinating story has compelled many radio producers around the country and in Canada to feature interviews with Michaela Haas, Schumann’s coauthor, who has known him for over 20 years. Many thanks to “The Voice” in Charleston for sharing their audio file with us to share with you! Continue reading
Peter Sichrovsky and Katherine Sheers, Meet the Writers 10 – Radio | Monocle http://ow.ly/YpuFY
This is a strong collection. Each of the eleven stories that make up Verklempt demonstrates Sichrovsky’s craft. The writing has an almost reportorial quality, and the dialogue similarly feels honest while hinting at much that isn’t said. The pieces here are memorable and diverse, making Verklempt an excellent English-language introduction to the author’s fiction. Continue reading
We are pleased to announce the upcoming publication of Dingbat 2.0 in the Spring of 2016. The book is the first critical study of the most ubiquitous and mundane Los Angeles building type. Equally praised and vilified, dingbat apartments were a critical enabler of Los Angeles’ rapid post-war urban expansion. Known for their mid-century decorative facades, … Continue reading
“We feigned a normal life. We tried to forget that there was an impenetrable fence all around,” writes Coco Schumann. Michaela Haas has known Coco for over 20 years and brings her warmth and light to this wonderful feature story on The Ghetto Swinger. Continue reading
This is a serious and important book, but entertaining to read. … The clear and unfussy translation from John Howard [is] illustrated by a fascinating range of photographs. Continue reading
We are thrilled that this acclaimed journal of Jewish fiction has published Peter Sichrovsky’s short story “Onju”, which will be include in his forthcoming collection Verklempt in January 2016. Continue reading
On this happy occasion of reuniting two long lost friends, we wanted to post this interview that was shown during the exhibition “Werkbundsiedlung Vienna 1932 – A Model for New Living” curated by Eva-Maria Orosz and Andreas Nierhaus, running from Sept. 6, 2012 – Jan 13, 2013. Continue reading
During the 1936 Olympics, as Nazi Germany was preparing its image of triumphalism for the world stage, the young Jewish musical prodigy Coco Schumann heard swing music for the first time. He was hooked. Little did he know then that this music would save his life…. Continue reading
We are pleased to announce January 2016 as the release date for for Verklempt by internationally best-selling author Peter Sichrovsky. This small handsome volume is a collection of eleven short-stories and includes a Foreword by award-winning director and playwright Ari Roth. In Yiddish, “verklempt” can mean “choked with emotion.” These are love stories where love is a bitter pill, a joke, a missed chance at happiness, a secret, a ghost, or a longing to be with a person one cannot even remember. Sichrovsky writes without embellishment, spare outlines of characters that feel familiar, and infuses them with dark humor and tragedy in equal force. Continue reading
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Visit our online magazine The Nomadic Journal for artist features on Katarina Burin (image below), Alberto Burri, Simon Clark, Miklós Erdély, Roza el-Hassan, Ilya Kabakov, Rona Lee, Charles Long, Maryrose Cobarrubias Mendoza, Richard Mosse, Nahum, Adrian Paci, Noah Purifoy, Gregor Schneider, and Liat Yossifor.
Featured works by Paul T. Frankl
